UK News
BBC apologises on air after trainee puts ‘Manchester United are rubbish’ as live news update
Many joked that it must've been a Leeds fan behind the screens.
Football fans across the UK were left stunned and amused this afternoon when a BBC ticket appeared on their TV screens reading "Manchester United are rubbish".
It's certainly not something seen every day, leaving BBC News forced to issue an on-air apology.
Viewers were quick to notice the cheeky comment and quickly took to social media to voice their various opinions on it. Some were offended, whilst many others actually appeared rather thrilled.
As thousands of people right across the UK tuned in to watch the 24-hour BBC News channel, an unusual update was posted on the live news ticker while the presenter was running through the highlights and talking points from the ongoing Roland Garros tennis tournament in Paris.
Hidden among the actual news headlines of the day were the hard-hitting words “Manchester United are rubbish”, reports The Manc.
“Weather rain everywhere,” was another one of the odd updates.
Given that these followed updates from legitimate news stories such as the rising tensions with the Partygate scandal and the Sue Gray report, many viewers just presumed that their eyes must have been deceiving them and went over to BBC iPlayer to watch it again.
Others took to social media to check if anyone else had seen it too.
In what is a now-viral tweet that has racked up thousands of likes and retweets, TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan said: “Errrr… what is going on with the BBC News ticker?”
Other rival football fans understandably “couldn’t believe their eyes”, and took to social media to poke as much fun at the situation as they possibly could.
One person tweeted: “And people say the BBC don’t present factual news anymore”, while another added: “Even BBC News know how bad Manchester United are”, and a third hilariously said: “Legendary. That would go straight onto my CV and website if it was my ‘mistake’.”
“I’m a United fan and it gave me a good laugh. We have indeed been rubbish, BBC News,” another conceded.
After word of the mishap clearly got out and began to spread online, the BBC then made an on air apology to any Manchester United fans they may have “offended”.
The BBC News presenter said: “Just while we’re on the subject of football, a little earlier, some of you may have noticed something pretty unusual on the ticker, that runs along the bottom of the screen with news, making a comment about Manchester United.
“I hope that Manchester United fans weren’t offended by it, let me just explain what was happening.”
BBC News blamed the error on a trainee, who was “learning to use” the feature.
The news presenter continued: “Behind the scenes, someone was training how to use the ticker and how to put text on the ticker. They were just writing random things, not in earnest, that comment appeared.
“So apologies if you saw that and you were offended and you are a fan of Manchester United.
“But certainly, that was a mistake and it wasn’t meant to be on the screen, that was what happened.
“We just thought we better explain that to you.”
Featured Image – BBC News
UK News
New BBC TV drama starring Bel Powley and Harley Squires to be filmed in Leeds this spring
Clementine Hall
The BBC has announced a brand-new crime drama set to be filmed in Leeds and Hull.
We all love a BBC drama, and luckily for us one is about to be filmed right here in Leeds.
The new drama will be titled Shy & Lola, starring Harley Squires from The Night Manager and Bel Powley from The Diary of A Teenage Girl.
The six-part series has been described as a "dark comedy" about two women caught up in a murder in the criminal underworld.
The plot follows an unassuming pair in a small coastal town in northern England where the pair both realise they have a hidden talent for crime.
The series synopsis states: "As they build an operation that threatens to blow the local bad guys out of the water, opposing futures beckon – using their earnings to fund a fresh start, or becoming the new bosses in town."
The show is based on a popular French TV series and is written by Amanda Coe, an acclaimed English screenwriter and novelist.
Amanda Coe spoke about the announcement: "With such a rich and spiky central relationship at its core, Shy & Lola is a dream of a show to write, full of fun, action and emotion. I can't wait to see our hugely exciting cast and director bring it to life."
Rachelle Constant, executive Producer for Clerkenwell Films, said: "Amanda has written a brilliantly bold series centred on a dynamic female duo, which blends dark comedy with propulsive storytelling.We’re thrilled to have Hayley and Bel as our leads, alongside an exceptional cast and crew."
The new series will begin filming in Leeds and Hull this spring and will air on BBC One and iPlayer and we'll absolutely be tuning in.
Read more: Yorkshire actor Robert Aramayo scoops BAFTA alongside other ‘surprise’ northern winners
Featured image - BBC
UK News
Yorkshire actor Robert Aramayo scoops BAFTA alongside other ‘surprise’ northern winners
Clementine Hall
Hull-born Robert Aramayo was one of the well-deserved winners at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards last night.
Robert Aramayo, 33, took home the coveted Best Actor BAFTA last night (February 22) for his role in I Swear, a biographical drama based on the real life story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with Tourette syndrome.
It's a huge win for the Yorkshire actor, as he was up against major Hollywood heavyweights including Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo Dicaprio (One Battle After Another) and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).
Not only did he scoop up the Best Actor award, but he also bagged the coveted Rising Star award which was the only one determined by public vote.
Originally from Hull, Robert graduated from the famous Juilliard School in New York and has since built up a number of film credits including Elrong in The Lord of The Rings.
Receiving his dazzling award, Aramayo said: "This is really scary, last time I was at Bafta I dropped the award, so hopefully this will go better.
“I can’t believe this, it really blows my mind. John Davidson is the most remarkable person I’ve ever met and he believes there is so much more we need to learn about Tourette’s."
He continued: “In the words of the film, they need support and understanding. This means the world to me, I can’t believe it.”
And it doesn't stop there for surprise northern winners, as Manchester-raised actress Wunmi Mosaku took home the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her incredible performance in Sinners.
Wunmi was already a BAFTA TV Award winner or her role as Gloria Taylor in the 2016 TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy, but this was her first win on the Film side, and it was a win that has turned the Best Supporting Actress ‘Oscar race’ into one of the more up-in-the-air categories this Awards Season.
Elsewhere in the ceremony, some of the other big winners of the night were One Battle After Another, which scooped Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, among others, while Hamnet took Best British Film, and the film’s lead Jessie Buckley won Best Actress in Leading Role – with the latter being, arguably, the only expected and predicted acting win of the night.
Read more: Jack Whitehall announces huge Leeds gig as part of brand-new stand-up tour
Featured Image – BAFTA (via YouTube)
Georgina Pellant -
24th May 2022 
